Eric Gill, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Vol IV, Golden Cockerel Press – 1931 wood engraving

Eric Gill The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Vol IV, Golden Cockerel Press

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View the full Collection: Gill, Eric (1882–1940)

An original 1931 wood engraving – Eric Gill, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Vol IV, Golden Cockerel Press.

This striking work is the opening folio from Volume IV of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, illustrated by Eric Gill (1882–1940) and published by the Golden Cockerel Press 1928–1931. The section is the Introduction and opening to The Squire's Tale. The Squire is the Knight's son, a novice warrior and lover with more enthusiasm than experience. His tale, which ultimately gets interrupted, is an unfinished epic romance.

The folio is folded, creating two leaves / four pages, with Gill's opening illustration on the first page, and marginal illustrations on the other three.

Wood engraving on handmade paper with GCP [Golden Cockerel Press] watermark. Initial in red on the second page. Deckle edges to the side and lower edges of the sheet.

The Canterbury Tales was seen as one of the finest books to be produced by the Golden Cockerel Press, exhibiting the ideals of the private press movement, and published in a run of 485 copies plus 15 copies on vellum. The publication of the work was a major literary event and was widely covered in the press throughout the four-year publication period. A review in The Times Literary Supplement compared the edition to the Kelmscott Chaucer.

Eric Gill (1882–1940)

Eric Gill (1882–1940) was born in Brighton. He trained initially as an architect under W. D. Caröe in London but soon shifted toward lettering, calligraphy, and stone carving, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement.

Gill established himself as a skilled stone carver and sculptor, producing both religious and secular works. Among his most notable sculptures are Prospero and Ariel (1932) outside Broadcasting House, and relief carvings for public buildings, including Palace of Westminster.

He also became one of the most important typographic designers of the 20th century. His typefaces—especially Gill Sans (1928) and Perpetua—were developed during his association with the Monotype Corporation. Gill Sans, in particular, became iconic and has been widely used in British signage, including by the BBC and railway systems.

Gill was also involved with the Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, a Catholic craft community in Ditchling, reflecting his deep religious convictions, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1913. He later moved to Capel-y-ffin in Wales, and during this time became the chief engraver and illustrator for the Golden Cockerel Press. Several of the resulting books, including The Song of Songs (1925), Troilus and Criseyde (1927), The Canterbury Tales (1928), and The Four Gospels (1931) are considered classics of specialist book production.

After the posthumous publication of his private diaries in the 1980s, the revelation of Gill's abuse towards family members has led to ongoing debate about how to interpret and present his work.